Diario El Universo (Spanish for "The Universe") is one of the largest daily newspapers in Ecuador. It was founded in 1921 and the first edition was published September 16 of the same year. Its headquarters are located in Guayaquil.

In 2010, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa filed a criminal libel complaint against El Universo's directors and editor, Emilio Palacio. The complaint cited a column in which Palacio stated that Correa had permitted soldiers to fire on a hospital to suppress a violent police protest.[1][2] A temporary magistrate who heard the case granted the president US$42 million in damages. The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court on 17 February 2012,[2] but was suspended by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights four days later pending further review.[3]

The decision caused significant international criticism from newspapers, human rights groups, and press freedom organizations.[1] A New York Times editorial described the verdict as "a staggering, shameful blow to the country’s democracy",[3] while Reporters Without Borders called it "draconian" and a "grave legal precedent".[4] Correa, in contrast, described the verdict as a blow to the "dictatorship" of a corrupt press.[1]

On 27 February 2012, Correa pardoned the four defendants, stating that he had "never wanted this trial" but only wanted the public to know the truth.[1] Later that year, the newspaper was awarded the inter-American Maria Moors Cabot prize. The citation read, "Even in the face of Correa’s bullying and the threat of incarceration, El Universo and many other Ecuadoran journalists have courageously defended their right and obligation to speak out for a democratic society."[5]